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Contrary to what this picture suggests, the new voice of the speaking clock won’t actually be Terry Wogan. Or a bear.

The voice of the Speaking Clock is to be replaced after 21 years – by a member of the public.

A nationwide competition was launched today in aid of Children In Need. The public will be invited to submit telephone recordings of their voice with the proceeds of each call going to the charity appeal.

The winner will be announced during BBC1’s Children In Need night on November 17 and will become only the fourth person in history to land the job, which fortunately doesn’t involve sitting in a room all day answering every phone call that comes in to the clock, even though that would be funnier.

Current voice Brian Cobby, 77, is retiring after 21 years â and he will be one of the competition judges.

Like his predecessors, Pat Simmons and Jane Cain, Cobby speaks the words: “At the third stroke…” with Received Pronunciation, also known as ‘Speaking Proper Like’.

But the competition is open to all comers – raising the possibility that the speaking clock will have a regional accent for the first time.

“Things have changed over all these years and I think my voice is a bit posh now,” said Cobby, whose other voice achievements include being the ‘5-4-3-2-1 Thunderbirds are go!’ guy.

A spokesman for the competition said: “The contest is open to young and old, to male or female, and to every accent. We have no preconceived ideas of what the new voice should sound like.”